Post hole auger



' June 16, 1959 lF.' T. SMITH 2,890,860

' POST HOLE AUGER i Filed April l. 1955 67770 NEM United States Patent C POST HOLE AUGER Fred Thomas Smith, Kansas City, Mo., assigner to Precision Research and Development Company, Kansas City, Mo.,\a corporation of Missouri Application April 1, 1955, Serial No. 498,668

3 Claims. (Cl. Z55-19) The present invention relates in general to devices for drilling holes in the earth and it deals more particularly with a portable auger for drilling post holes.

The object of the invention, broadly speaking, is to provide an improved post hole auger adapted to be mounted on and carried by a conventional farm tractor as an attachment thereto, all power required for operation of the auger being supplied by the tractor and all manipulation thereof being effected through the agency of control apparatus which is a standard part of the tractor.

Another object is to provide a post hole auger attachment of the character indicated `which is economical to manufacture, which is sturdy in construction so as to be long-lived and trouble-free in use, which is easy to mount on the tractor and simple to service and maintain. In this connection a feature resides in `the provision of an auger frame which is strong and so constructed as to resist accidental damage as well as injury such as otherwise might result through occasional mishandling by unskilled operators.

Still another object is to provide a tractor mounted post hole auger, which by virtue of its novel construction, permits drilling holes in the ground at locations very close to above ground obstructionssuch as buildings and trees. A further object resides in the provision of means insuring that the hole will, in every case, be drilled vertically.

Yet another object is to provide a post hole auger having a replaceable auger tip of improved construction and vastly superior operating characteristics.

Other and further objects of the invention, together with the features of novelty whereby the objects are achieved, will appear in the course of the following description.

In the drawings which form a part of the speciiication and are to be read in conjunction therewith, and in which like reference numerals indicate like parts in the various views:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing my post hole auger mounted on the rear end of a conventional farm tractor;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the auger showing the parts thereof approximately in the position they occupy when the auger -tip rests on the surface of `the ground preparatory to drilling a hole therein;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing the assembly of parts at the upper end of my auger; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional View taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. l in the direction of the arrows.

My auger employs a rigid generally U-shaped frame comprising a pair of laterally spaced arms 10, 11 and a yoke 12 connecting the arms at their rear ends. Preferably formed from heavy steel plate bent to the shape shown in the drawings, the yoke has a transverse web portion 12a, a pair of parallel legs or side portions 12b extending forwardly from the web and a pair of ears 12o extending outwardly from the respective side portions; as will be clear from Fig. 2, the line of intersection ICC being accomplished by means of a clamping bracket 15V mounted on the axle housing and a pivot bolt 16 connecting the arm to the bracket. So mounted, it rwill be understood that the U-shaped auger frame extends rearwardly from the tractor and is symmetrical about the center line of the tractor. Its rear end (i.e., yoke 12) is of course swingable up and down about the horizontal axis dened by pivot 16.

Raising and lowering of the auger frame is eliected by the tractor lift arms 18. The two arms are standard apparatus on tractors, and the manner in which they are controlled by the operator is well known to those versed in the art. Accordingly it will suilice here simply to say that the lift arms are hinged to the rear of the tractor for up andv down movement and can be raised or lowered at will through suitable linkage powered by the tractor hydraulic system. Hydraulic connection arms 18a are pivotally connected to the lift arms 18 intermediate of the connections thereof to the rear of the tractor and the rearwardly extending arms 10 and 11, the connections being made by removable pins 18h connected by chains 18C to the tractor itself. Arms 18a are pivoted at their other ends to hydraulic connection arms 18d which are operated from the conventional tractor hydraulic system. Thus, rotation of arms 18d around their pivotal mounting to the hydraulic means will raise or lower arms 18a and thus raise or lower :arms 18 which, in turn, raise or lower arms 10 and 11. By means of brackets 19, the rear ends of the respective arms are coupled to opposite sides of the auger frame at points spaced rearwardly of the pivots 16, whereby upward or downward movement of arms 18 is transmitted to the auger frame to raise or lower the yoke 12. t

Between the opposite sides of the yoke I provide a gear box 20 which is pivotally connected to the yoke by means of shoulder bolts 21; the latter extend through journal apertures in the respective side members 12b and have their ends received in internally1 threaded apertures in the side walls of the gear box. Bolts 21, in other words, serve as trunnions on which the gear box is adapted to turn about a horizontal axis.

The gear box has a vertical shaft 22 journaled in its upper and lower walls. On this shaft my auger is hung, a thrust collar 22a being provided to carry the weight.

The auger shaft is a hollow tube 24 in whose upper end is received the downwardly projecting portion of shaft 22, the two being connected together by a coupling pin 23. A spiral flight auger blade 24a formed of sheet metal is secured to the exterior of the auger shaft as by welding; adjacent turns of this blade are uniformly spaced along the length of the shaft but at the lower extremity of the shaft a one-turn auxiliary spiral blade Zib is interleaved with the iinal turn of spiral 24a. The lower terminus of blades 24a and '2411, in other words, are diametrically opposite one another at the lower end of shaft ,24.

The triangular auger tip 25 is a tempered sheet metal4 of one of the spiral flights 24a, 24b. Between the two p flanges, tip 25 preferably has a short upstanding s tub post (not shown) which isreceived in. the lower end straight members, making it possible to use high-strength steel tube for these parts.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinbefore set forth together with other advantages which are inherent to the apparatus.

It is to be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be used without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the appended claims.

Inasmuch as various embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In apparatus of the character described, a frame carried on the rear of a tractor for up and down swinging movement, said frame comprising a pair of laterally spaced substantially coplanar arms having their forward ends pivoted to the tractor, a U-shaped yoke connecting the rear ends of said arms, said yoke having a pair of opposed leg portions inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the respective arms and a bight portion spanning the space between the upper extremities of said legs, a gear box between the opposite leg portions of said yoke and below the bight portion pivotally supported on said leg portions to turn about a substantially horizontal aXis said gear box having a power input shaft and a power output shaft operatively connected thereto, an auger carried by said output shaft in depending relationship to said gear box, means for turning said input shaft thereby to rotate said auger, said auger and gear box forming an integral pivotal assembly, said integral pivotal assembly so mounted and supported on said leg portions that the distribution of mass thereof causes the auger shaft to hang at a slightly rearward angle from the vertical, and a biasing spring operatively connected to said yoke and said gear box to yieldably resist the tilting of the auger shaft 6 and gear box so the former hangs at a lesser rearward angle than it would unrestrained.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, having adjustment means for varying the biasing tension of said spring.

3. In apparatus of the character described, a frame carried on the rear of a tractor for up and. down swinging movement, said trame comprising a pair of laterally spaced coplanar arms having their forward ends pivoted to the tractor, a yoke at the rear ends of said arms and spanning the space therebetween, said yoke comprising a U-shaped channel member with integral inclined ears p1'ojecting laterally from opposite legs thereof and abutting the rearmost extremities of the respective arms, a weld securing the rearmost end of each arm to the abutting ear whereby the frame formed by said yoke and arms is a rigid unitary assembly, said yoke having a pair of opposed leg portions inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the respective ears and a bight portion spanning the space sbetween the upper extremities of said legs, a gear box between the opposite leg portions of said yoke and below the bight portion pivotally supported on said leg portions to turn about a substantially horizontal axis, said gear box having a power input shaft and a power output shaft operatively connected thereto, an auger carried by said output shaft in depending relationship to said gear box, and means for turning said input shaft thereby to rotate said auger.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 170,445 Montgomery Nov. 30, 1895 1,523,143 Schweisgut Ian. 13, 1925 1,945,711 Vodoz Feb. 6, 1934 2,320,775 Garner .Tune 1, 1943 2,543,282 `Folken Feb. 27, 1951 2,581,535 Jackson Jan. 8, 1952 2,812,162 Lay Nov. 5, 1957 2,812,191 Beltz Dec. 3, 1957 

